Lebanon finish in style

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Lebanon finish in style

Bishkek: Lebanon fell short in their bid to reach AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 but finished their campaign with a flourish in a 3-0 victory over Guam at Dolen Omurzakov Stadium on Sunday.

Their slim qualification hopes were dashed by group winners Myanmar’s earlier success against United Arab Emirates, but Wael Gharzeddine’s charges did enough to claim second place in Group D, with Hanin Tamim bagging a brace and Lili Iskandar also getting on the scoresheet in what was ultimately a comfortable win.
 
Despite their failure to reach India 2022, Sunday’s result made it Lebanon’s most successful AFC qualifying campaign, with their final tally of two wins from three matches bettering the sole previous win they achieved in qualifying for the 2014 edition of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. 

Myanmar book Finals ticket with win over UAE

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Myanmar book Finals ticket with win over UAE

Bishkek: Myanmar secured their place at AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022, completing their qualification mission with a 2-0 victory over United Arab Emirates at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium on Sunday.

Early goals from Khin Mo Mo Tun and Chit Chit dispelled any final Matchday nerves as Tin Myint Aung’s side cruised to next January’s continental showpiece.
 
Myanmar’s third win in as many matches in the Kyrgyz Republic capital paves the way for the Southeast Asian nation’s fifth AFC Women’s Asian Cup appearance and their first since 2014.

Australia's Gustavsson praises players, fans after superb victory over Brazil

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Australia's Gustavsson praises players, fans after superb victory over Brazil

Sydney: Head coach Tony Gustavsson hailed his players and fans after Australia recorded an impressive 3-1 win over Brazil in an international friendly match on Saturday.

In the Matildas' first match on home soil since playing Vietnam in a Tokyo Olympics qualifier in March 2020, goals by Clare Polkinghorne and Mary Fowler gave Australia a two goal lead before Adriana pulled one back for the Brazilians, only for Emily van Egmond to complete the scoring.

Goalkeeper Yoon hoping to inspire Korea Republic against USA again

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Goalkeeper Yoon hoping to inspire Korea Republic against USA again

Kansas City: Goalkeeper Yoon Young-geul is hoping for another start when Korea Republic play world champions United States of America in their second friendly match on Tuesday.

An inspired performance from Yoon, 34, saw Korea holding the Americans to a goalless draw on Thursday, snapping the World No 1 side's 22-match winning run on home soil.

USA completely dominated the match with 19 shots, eight of which were on target but none could find a way past the veteran Yoon.

Australia celebrate homecoming with win over Brazil

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Australia celebrate homecoming with win over Brazil

Sydney: Australia’s women’s national team ended 19 months away from home in style, surging to a 3-1 win against Brazil at Western Sydney Stadium on Saturday.

Clare Polkinghorne, Mary Fowler and Emily van Egmond got on the scoresheet for the Matildas, who delighted a crowd of more than 15,000 with a commanding win over the world’s number seven side.
 
The match was the first of two friendlies this week between the nations, who will meet again at the same venue on Tuesday.

Qualifiers - Group K: Cambodia defeat Hong Kong for flying start to qualifying campaign

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Qualifiers - Group K: Cambodia defeat Hong Kong for flying start to qualifying campaign

Futaba: Cambodia kicked off their bid to qualify for the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 with a 4-2 win over Hong Kong at the J-Village ground in Futaba on Saturday.

The win sets Cambodia up nicely for their next match - against hosts Japan - with victory on Tuesday taking them to the Finals from the three-team Group K.

Hong Kong's fate, meanwhile, depends on Japan defeating Cambodia before the two teams meet in the group finale on Thursday.

Spectacular Al Thumama Stadium becomes sixth tournament-ready venue for Qatar 2022

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Spectacular Al Thumama Stadium becomes sixth tournament-ready venue for Qatar 2022

Doha: Qatar’s latest FIFA World Cup™ tournament venue was unveiled on Friday night when Al Thumama Stadium hosted the Amir Cup Final between Al Rayyan and Al Sadd. The stunning venue – which was designed by Qatari architect Ibrahim M. Jaidah – was inaugurated in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of Qatar, as the country marked yet another milestone on the road to 2022.

The inauguration ceremony took place prior to the final and involved local schoolchildren celebrating the design of the stadium. On the pitch, Al Sadd won the final 5-4 on penalties after the match finished 1-1 after 90 minutes. It was a record 18th victory in the competition for the Wolves.

2021 AFC Champions League: The Week in Numbers

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

2021 AFC Champions League: The Week in Numbers

Kuala Lumpur: The 2021 AFC Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals were held over the past week as a whirlwind few days’ of action ended in Al Hilal SFC and FC Pohang Steelers booking their places in the grand finale on November 23. 

A record 40 teams were part of the group stage when it kicked off back in April and just two remain in the quest to be crowned kings of Asia. 

With the competition now taking a break until the sides meet in Riyadh next month, the-AFC.com looks back at the numbers that stood out after the recent set of games.